Deep Dish Apple Pie

Welcome to year 5 of my apple-pie-in-July tradition. Since 2013, I’ve shared an apple pie recipe– or variation of one– on or around July 4th. Why? It’s an all-American classic and my favorite dessert on the planet.

You probably had no idea that my favorite dessert is pie because I rarely ever post pie recipes. WEIRD. But seriously, I just posted a cherry pie recipe the other day (it’s July’s Baking Challenge recipe!) and you have to try it this month.

Swoon. Apple pie is just too good to only have around Thanksgiving. It’s appropriate and encouraged year-round. I know you agree because most of you answered the giveaway question with apple pie! (Side note: should I try an apple cheddar pie recipe soon? Many of you answered with that one in particular!)

Today we’re diving deep… and I mean SUPER deep into homemade apple pie. Deep dish style should be the only apple pie style. The higher the layers of apples, the better. If an apple pie doesn’t tower over the pie dish edge, it’s pie blasphemy.

But did you know that there’s quite a craft to deep dish apple pie? You see, you can’t simply add more apples to any ol’ apple pie recipe. And let’s take a second to discuss that.

Tips for Deep Dishin’

Make sure your apple slices are uniform in size. Why? You don’t want some solid apples and some thin, mushy apples. You want them all to be this crunchy-soft texture. You know what I mean– a little bite but still melt in your mouth. Shoot for 1/4 inch thick. If the apple slices are too thin, they’ll just pack themselves down and you’ll lose all deep dishiness. –> the accurate term here.

Get a deep-dish pie pan. This is around 2 inches high. My all-time favorite pie dish is deep-dish style, but perfect for regular (non deep dish style) pies as well.

Use a lot of apples. This sounds like a no-brainer. But you’d be surprised how many apple slices can fit into a pie crust. Pile them so high that it looks ridiculous. Like this:

And 1 More Thing…

While you’re piling them super high, make sure they’re compact and tight. I don’t just pour the apple slices into the crust, I tuck them in tightly so there’s hardly any air pockets. Super snug in there!

So let’s talk about the goodness inside the filling. These are my go-tos in most apple pie recipes. We have:

Spices – apple pie isn’t apple pie without warm spices like cinnamon and nutmeg. It also isn’t apple pie without a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top, but we’ll get to that in a sec. I also add ground cloves and allspice to the filling for a little something extra.

Lemon – keeps those apple slices from over-browning and brightens up the overall flavor of the pie.

Sugar – to sweeten.

Flour – to thicken.

I went with a full double crust style for this deep dish apple pie, but you can top the pie however you’d like whether that’s a beautiful lattice topping or arranged shapes, etc. I used an apple cookie cutter for a little extra pizazz because fun pie designs are my new obsession. I bought it with a fall-themed cookie cutter set last fall. Remember it from my apple cranberry pie? –> that’s still one of the most beautiful pies I’ve ever made. I loved the braided edge!

I haven’t chatted much about the pie crust I use in this deep dish apple pie recipe because I talk about it ALL THE TIME. I won’t repeat why this homemade buttery flaky pie crust is my favorite. If you have time, I geeked out for an entire 1,000 words explaining why it works. And I have two different (<– link!) video tutorials (<– link!) on my Facebook page if you haven’t checked them out yet!

Each bite of this pie is stacked with sweet and spiced apples. There is clearly no shortage of apple slices, so if you’re crazy for apple pie like yours truly– this is a must in your baking future. Top it with vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of salted caramel because you and I don’t mess around when it comes to apple pie. I’m excited for you to try it!

Equipment

Directions:

Make the filling: In a large bowl, stir the apple slices, sugar, flour, lemon zest + juice, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and nutmeg together until thoroughly combined. Set filling aside as the oven preheats. This gives the filling a chance to rest.

Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C).

Roll out the chilled pie dough: On a floured work surface, roll out one of the discs of chilled dough (keep the other one in the refrigerator). Turn the dough about a quarter turn after every few rolls until you have a circle 12 inches in diameter. Carefully place the dough into a 9x2 inch pie dish. Tuck it in with your fingers, making sure it is smooth. Spoon the filling into the crust and discard the leftover juices in the bottom of the bowl.

Finish assembling: Remove the other disc of chilled pie dough from the refrigerator. Roll the dough into a circle that is 12 inches diameter. Carefully lay the dough over the filling. Use a small paring knife to trim off excess dough from the sides. Cut slits in the top to form steam vents. Crimp or flute the edges to seal.

Lightly brush the top of the pie crust with the egg wash. Sprinkle the top with coarse sugar, if using.

Place the pie onto a large baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes. Keeping the pie in the oven, turn the temperature down to 375°F (190°C) and bake for an additional 30-35 minutes. After the first 20 minutes of bake time, I place a pie crust shield on top of the pie to prevent the edges from browning too quickly.

Allow the pie to cool for 3 full hours at room temperature before serving. This time allows the filling to thicken up. Cover leftovers tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Make ahead tip/freezing: A couple ways to make ahead of time! Make 1 day in advance-- after it cools, cover tightly and keep at room temperature. The pie crust dough can also be prepared ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Baked pie also freezes well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature before serving. Prepared fillings can also be frozen up to 3 months, thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using.

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38 comments

Wow, thanks for this thorough explanation. I am a person who loves fillings, especially pie fillings. I always wondered why I never managed to bake a good deep dish recipe. But now I know. I always just tossed them in there and hoped for the best. I will definitely report back the next time (soon!) I make a deep dish pie. Looks really yummy!

Pile them in strategically next time– I swear it works!

I haven’t made a deep dish pie yet, but since apple pies are one of my favorites, this would be the perfect place to start. Thank you so much all the tips on making this pie a deep dish. Can’t wait to try it! Happy 4th of July!

I might have just seen a little piece of heaven with this pie. Trying not to drool over here. Happy 4th, Sally! Thank you for another delishus Apple Pie recipe!

Happy 4th!

We are staying with friends until our visas come in…and I made an apple pie! Actually, I made it on July 2 for my husband’s birthday since he likes pie more than cake. It was not this one, but one I have made for years. I have not tucked the apple slices in and will the next time I make it.
Happy 4th!

Apple pie definitely makes the best birthday dessert 🙂

Ok really need to get on that fact that I’ve never baked a pie. After you post the other day I asked my husband what his favorite pie was. He said his grandma used to make a sheet pie, I’m assuming that’s a slab pie. So I def might need to try that apple slab pie with maple icing, that’s right up his alley!

I would love to see an apple cheddar pie! Ever since watching Pushing Dasies I’ve been dying to try a cheesy apple pie!

I definitely need to try it sometime!

Pie is absolutely my favourite dessert too. I can never choose between blueberry & apple (though I think I answered the giveaway question with blueberry… how dare I leave out apple). If it were acceptable by my family members, I’d probably ask for a birthday pie over a birthday cake.

Apple pie is my favorite, and this looks excellent! About how much did your six large apples weigh?

Around 3 lbs! Enjoy enjoy 🙂

hey Sally! I haven’t commented for a long time but I wanted to let you know that I am using your recipes every time I bake! I was going to make your apple pie today and saw that you had put this new post up so I used this recipe! The pie’s in the oven right now! I hope you have a very happy fourth of July 🙂

My family is completely in love with apple pies. I would definitely be giving this a try soon. Thanks for sharing.

What great tradition to post Apple Pie on the 4th of July. I drooled all over looking at the pictures you posted for each of your stunning creations. I will definitely be making this, but per my husband I have to start with that Blueberry pie first. Then, onto this master piece!!!!

Have fun baking ALL THE PIES! 🙂

Do you ever have trouble with the filling being too liquidity? That is a constant problem I have with pies! Maybe I’m just not baking it long enough or not using enough flour/cornstarch.
This looks delicious! Pinned and stumbled it.
(I’m currently perfecting cookies for my site, so pie will be in the future).

This is how people never get their summer bodies. Pies year-round. This looks FANTASTIC! I bet it goes great with ice cream lol!

Such a gorgeous apple pie! All those layers of spiced apples are perfection!

This looks delicious. I have made your pie crust recipe which was wonderful. Hope to try this pie in the fall. The trouble with all of your recipes that I make is that I can stop at one piece. Thanks for another great one.

So glad you enjoy my pie crust recipe too and I know what you mean about stopping at 1 piece (of pie especially)!

In the UK, we have Bramleys, which are cooking apples – too sour to eat like a regular apple, but they go beautifully mushy in a pie or a crumble. Nigella Lawson suggests using both Brambles and a regular apple like Braeburns in her deep apple pie because you get both the mush and the bite in one one go! I suspect it would work in this pie too.